Superheater for internal-combustion engines



H. A. LACEHD.

SUPERHEATER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINESI APPLICATION FILED1AN.21,1919,

l 1,338,51 1 .Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. A. LACERDA.

'.SUPERHEATER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES:

APPucATloN FILED 101.21, 1919.

1,338,51 1 Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

By gym ATIORNAS I 'the .line 8 lUNTED STATES PATENT llllilllIGE.,

HARRY A. LACERDA., F JERSEY CITY, NIE'W JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 0F NE-HALJF T0 .RALPH W. BENSON, OF MOUNT VEB/NGN, NEW" YORK.

SUPERHEATER FOR NTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGKNES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2:?, 1920.

Application filed January 21, '1.919. Serial No. 272,316.

To all whom it may 00 noem Be it known that I, HARRY A. LAonnnA, a citizen o'lE the United States, and a resident ot Jersey City, in the county of Hudson 5 rnd State of New Jersey, 1nave invented a new vand Improved Super-heater `for lnternal-Combustion Engines, ot which the 'tot loi'ving is a full, clear, and exact description.

new and improved superheatei.' foi-,internal combustion engines notably sucli as in automobiles, autotrucks, marine and aerial vessels, and the like, and arranged to generate superheated steam and to supply the same to the explosive mixture to in crease the eliiciency thereof and to prevent the ormation of' carbon and other deposits in the cylinder. Another object is to dis pense vwith the usual overllow'pipe in the radiator. llllith these and othei1 objects in view the invention consists of 'certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanyingl drawings forming a part of this specification in cate corresponding parts in all'the views. y ligure l is a side eleifation, partly .in section, of automobile engine provided with the improved superhCater, a portion of? which is shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with part. o'l the hood broken out;

Fig. 3 is an. enlarged cross `section ot the superheatei.' as applied, the section` bei-ng on o of Fig. l.; Fig. 'l in a` llorizoi'ital Sectional view ot the same on the line 4l--4 of' Fig'. 3;

llig. 'is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the valve controlling the liow of the steam from the superheater to the intake manifold; and

Fig. G is reduced sectional front elevation et' the lsteam generating' chamber in the rasingo the superheaten the section being on the line 6-13 ot Fie. la.

rllie automobile eiiggine 'lll illustrated in lrawingrs is'of usual construction and i ovided with an int: lie man ,d ll., an iaust manifold l?? and radiator 'i3 Vfor ac .ucing the temperature ol' W Tlfe object of the intention is to provide a.

are used' which similar characters ot' reference indiwater circulating; through the water jackets of the engine cylinders to cool the same. The in take manifold ll is connected with the usual carburetor lil 'for supplying the engine with the usual explosive mixture.

rThe superheater comprises a casing l5 having a heating chamber 16 and a steam generating` chamber 17, located. in front of the heating chamber 1G. rlhe heating chamber l@ is arranged to inclose the manifolds l1 and l?, so that the heat trom the exhaust gases passing; 'through the exha ust manifold heat the `iiiterior of the heating` chamber flt which in turn heats the steam generating chamber 17. ln practice, the chamber 1G has its lower rear portion 2O made in a separate section provided at the under side with transverse lugs 2lv extending under the under side ot the casing' lo and fastened thereto by screws 2&2v to removably hold the section 20 .in place. lt is understood that when placing the casing; l5 in position on the manifolds ll and l2, the section 2()v is detached :trom the casing to allow of engagging' the chamber 16 with the manifolds ill and l2, and then the section 20 is fastened in place on the casing l5.

The interior ol the steam generating,` chamber l? is provided with a central compartment coruiccted at the top by a water supply pipe 26 with the interior ofthe radiator jlat the top thereof, as plainly shown in Fig. l. This pipe 2G takes the place ot the usual overflow pipe of 'the radiator 13 and it conducts the water 'from the radiator 13 into 'the compartment The compartment 25 .is provided with side walls 30 having. deflectin' members 3l operating' with l-.eiitrally ar tinged deflect-ingv members 32 and 33 arrangr'eifl in staggered relation with the delecting members 3l, as plainly-indicated in Fig. 6.A The lower por tion of the-compartment Q5 is open and it is evident that the water entering the top of this compartment is repeatedly divided by the dellecting members 32,31 and 33 to insure a quick converting ot' the water into steam. The sides of the steam generating chamlier 17 are provided with upwardly convergringdetlet-.ting mei'nbers 35, Sti to retard the flow ot the steam iin the steam gen eratinglj chamber '1T from the niiddle to the end portions thereof. The end of the steam f. generating' chamber 1i' adjacent the delecting member is fprovided with a. steam lll) pipe 40 connected with a valve 41'having` a nipple 42 screwing into the end of the chamber 17 adjacent the deflecting member 36, as will be readil understood by refer-i ence to AFi s. 5 an 6. The valve 41 isv providedv with an outlet pipe 43 which extends t` fough a passage 44 formed in the plug 47 of the valve 41 is connected with sired to do so.

Aim

a controlling rod 48 extending Within reach of the operator of the automobile to open I or close the Valve plug 47 Whenever it is de-I It will be noticed that by the arrange-` ment described the Water passing from the radiator 13 by Way of the .pipe 26 into the compartmentI 25 of the steam generating chamber 17 is quickly converted. into steam and this steam is superheated and finally passes by way of the pipe 40 and the nipple 42 into the valve 41 from which the steam passes by way of the pipe 43 and nipple 46 into the intake manifold 11 to mix with the pxplosive mixture and to pass with the same into the cylinders. It is understood that supplying the-explosive mixture with superheated steam increases the efficiency of the motive agent and prevents the formation of carbon and other deposits in the cylinders of the internal combustion engine.

The bottom of the steam generating chamber 17 is provided with a Well 50 for receiving any Water of condensation and the bottom of the Well 50 is provided Witha drain cock 51 for draining thewater of condensation out lof the' steam generating chamber 17 Whenever it is desired to do so.

From the ioregoing it will be seen that the superheater can be readily attached to the internal combustion engine Without making any alterations except tapping the nipple 46 into ,the intake manifold 11 and dispensing yvjth the overflow pipe in the radiator 13.

It Will also be noticed that by the use of the deflecting or baffling members inthe steam generating chamber 17 the Water is quickly converted into steam and the latter is .superheated prior .to passing out of the steam generating chamber 17 and passing into the intake manifold 11, as previously ex lained. v

aving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A superheater attachment for internal combustion engines, comprising a separable casing provided With a heating chamber and with a baffled-walled steam generating chamber disposed side by side, the saigl heating chamber inclosing the intake and exhaust maniiblds of the engine,d a Water supply connected With the said steam generating chamber, and-a steam connection connecting the said steam generating chamber `,With the said intake manifold.

2. A' superheater attachment for internal combustion engines, comprising a casing having a vertically-extending heating chamber adapted to inclose the lintake and exhaust manifolds of the engine to heat the interioi' of the casing from the heat radiating from the manifolds, said casing having a detachable bottom portion, a similarly extending` steam generating chambei' arranged on thev said casing and heated by the'heatin the said heating chamber, al supply connection connecting the said generating chamber With the radiator ofthe engine, and a steam connection connectingthe said' steam generating chamber With the said manifold and extending through the' same.

8. superheater' attachment combustion engines, comprising a casing havingk a heating chamber and astea'm 'generating chamber, the said heating cham-ber for internal i coil being adapted-to inclose the intake and'cx-l haustmanifolds of thev engine, the saidjv steam generating chamber being arranged in front of the heating chamber and being heated from the latter, the said steam gen;

verating chamber having `an enti'ancecompartment open at the bottom and provided with delecting means, a Water supplyfpipe' i connected with the top-of the said Vcompartment in the steam generating chamber above the said deflecting means in the compartment, steam pipes leading from the top of the steam generating chamber at the ends thereof, a manually controlled valve connected with lthe said steam pipes, and a steam supply pipeconnecting the said valve with the said intake manifold.

4. A superheater attachment for internall combustion engines, comprising a casing ion having a heating chamber and a steam genlerating chamber, the said heating chamber being adapted to inclosethe intake and ex- Ahaust manifolds of the engine, the said steam generating chamber being arranged in front of the heating chamber and being heated-from the latter, the said steam generating chamber -having an entrance compartment open at the bottom and provided with deflecting means, a water supply pipe connected with the top of the said compartiis ment in the steam generating chamber labove the said 'defl/ecting means in the compartment, steam/pipes leading from the top of the steamf/ generating chamber at the ends thereof, anuallycontrolled valve connected "it the' said steam pipes, and a steamI supply )ip/e connecting the said valve with 'tire isairi ntake manifold,A the said steam generating chamber having'a passage thereto into the heating chamber for the passage of the said steam supply pipe to connect the latter with th'e intake manifold within the heating chamber.

5. A superheater attachment'for internal combustion engines, comprising a casing having a heating chamber and a steam generating chamber, the said heating chamber being adapted to inclose the intake and exhaust manifolds of the engine, the said steam generating chamber being arranged in front of the heating chamber and being heated from the latter, the vsaid steam generating chamber having an entrance compartment open at the bottom and provided with deiecting means, the said steam generating chamberl beingl provided with upwa-rdly converging deflecting means adjacent the ends, a water supply pipe connected with the top of the said compartment in the s teamgenerating chamber above the said deflecting means in the compartment, steam pipes leading from the top of the steam generating chamber at the ends thereof, a inannally controlled valve connected with the said steam pipes, and a steam supply pipe connecting the said valve with the saidintake manifold.

6. A superheater attachment for internal combustion engines, comprising a casing having a heating chamber and a steam generating chamber, the said heating chamber being adapted to inclose the intake and exhaust manifolds of the engine, the said steam generating chamber being arranged in front of the heating chamber and being heated from the latter, the said steam generating chamber having an entrance compartment open at the bottom and provided with desteam pipes, and a steam supply pipe con! necting the said valve with the said intake manifold.

7. In combination, an internal combustion 'engine having intake and exhaust manifolds,

a, radiator, a super-heater provided With a casing having a partition dividing the same into a heating chamber and a steam-generatlng chamber, the said heating chamber inclosing the manifolds, means to detachably mount the casing on the engine, a watensupply pipe connecting the said steam-generating chamber with the' said radiator, said steam-gene 'ating chamber having an intermediate batfle-walled entrance compartment and outlet compartments at the ends thereof, steam pipes leading from the ends of the steam-generating chamber, a valve connected with the said steam pipes, and a steam pipe leading from the said valve and connected with the said intake manifold through said chambers.

HARRY A. LGERDA. 

